Paris
This was the first country I visited in the European Union that I’m aware of. The EU is complicated since the U.K. and Iceland have their own currencies and not every EU country participates in the Schengen Agreement. I went to Paris because it’s one of the classic travel destinations and wanted to visit the Eiffel tower.
I dropped my phone in Paris so got around by pointing, with notes, using public transport maps, and asking for a starting point at the front desk of the hotel. You can read my review here.
Without knowing enough French to form a sentence (only Bonjour and Merci) I ended up making it to the Louvre Museum, the Eiffel Tower, and back to the Airport. I missed my flight by 30 minutes but at least I made it to the airport and flew back to the London the next day.
During my extra day in Paris I took a train and free bus to Aeroville which is a mall with a department store, restuarants, cinema, and shopping. If you are at Charles de Gaulle Airport. You can take The Roissypole from Terminal 3 which runs around every 10 minutes in both directions. Ask the terminal attendants where you can board the Roissypole if you get lost.